Cruel to Be Kind, Means that I Love You
by Soss
Summary: [PostBete Noireslight epi spoilers] [Kibbs] He wouldn't let it happen again. There’d be no mistakes tonight. Not with her. Not again.
1. Chapter 1

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He sat heavily on the work bench, staring down blankly at the scrawled out script of the note he held in both hands. His jaw clenched tightly as he meticulously went over in his mind how he harshly told her to watch her six, instead of just being honest and telling her of the unwelcome, unwarranted, and unimaginable threat that he firmly held between each thumb and forefinger. Gibbs squeezed the paper until it tore. The slight sound snapped him out of his troubled and guilt-ridden reverie; he roughly crumpled the note, balling it tightly in one fist as he leapt from the workbench and landed on his feet. He heatedly tossed the crumpled up words of thick and threatening sarcasm onto the wood where he previously sat. There'd be no mistakes tonight.

It had been weeks since the terrorist had dared him; had openly presented him a shot at ending their nightmare in a spontaneous quick-draw showdown. And he had missed. He _missed_… He'd tell anyone who asked him, who asked exactly how long ago the one that got away had tore into their lives, that it was a few weeks. Give or take.

But Gibbs knew the day, and could count them easily. Down to the hour— down to the last few seconds of haze as he collapsed into that black fog of injured incoherence. He'd be damned if he let anything like that happen again-- even if it was only empty threats. There'd be no mistakes tonight. Not with her. Not again.  
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He showed up at her apartment in a dizzy fit of uncertainty. He forcefully pounded his fist against the door, roughly yelling her name when she didn't open it instantaneously. He took out his key pick from his inside coat pocket and gracefully picked her lock; with a hand at his waist, hovering over his sidearm, he entered her darkened apartment. He scanned the room, randomly remembering her telling him how she always kept a hall light on ever since the night she tripped over her knapsack and damn near killed herself. He heard her words echo off his inner walls as he moved quickly through the apartment, realizing everything was black. Taking his gun from his side, he cat walked down the hall to her bedroom.

Gibbs hip-checked the door and scanned the room with his firearm drawn. Kate bolted up in bed with a violent start, gasping and breathing heavily, as she too held her gun stealthily aimed at her darkened intruder. They stared at one another for a tense and heat-filled moment before he lowered his weapon to his side and put it back in its place at his hip. Kate caught her breath in slow, shallow swallows of air, finally dropping her mark and placing her gun on the nightstand. She swallowed heavily and let out an exasperated huff as she squinted her eyes in fierce aggravation.

"What.. are you _doing_?" she said in disbelief, slow and deliberate.

"Why didn't you answer the door." Gibbs gruffly mumbled as he shut the bedroom door, confining them both in her close quarters. Her eyes widened slightly as she trailed off in a perplexed rant:

"How did you even…? What's going.. I mean… _what are you **doing** here_?" She shook her head animatedly, forcefully bringing her hands down on the bed with confused emphasis. Kate cautiously watched as he walked to her window, separating her blinds with two fingers as he peered out to the street below.

Gibbs looked over to her quickly, "Get dressed." He walked back to the door, leaning against it with his arms crossed, "Pack a bag."

"Gibbs…"

"You have _five minutes_, Kate." Looking at her with all the seriousness that rode on his shoulders, his lips formed a firm line as his eyebrows rose. He held up his palm, spreading out his five fingers in a simple illustration of her time frame. His tone and his flashing eyes made her sit up and take notice.

She got out of bed in her tank and underwear and immediately became fully aware of herself; as well as _his_ awareness of her. She nervously ran her hands over her thighs, unsuccessfully trying to hide herself, but effectively drawing and averting his eyes to the edgy travels of her hands.

"Do you _mind_..?" she bit out softly.

He shook his head and planted his feet, crossing his legs at the ankles as he propped himself in the doorjamb. "No. I don't."

She sighed as she'd recognize that stance anywhere. She grabbed at the jeans that were slung over the back of her desk chair, jumping into them as quickly as she could—hopping on one foot as she maneuvered her other foot into the pant leg. Gibbs smirked softly, but quickly erased the fleeting enjoyment as she pulled on a t-shirt and shoved handfuls of fabric and bathroom bottles of nonsense into her duffel bag.

Shaking his head, he reached his hand to stop her and to hurry her along, "I have all that." She looked up to him with dark, worried eyes and nodded her head faintly as she zipped up her bag and slipped on her shoes. Her demeanor was very different from the looks-could-kill bearings of the moments prior— she wanted to know what in the hell was going on; and if her rapid compliance was what it took.. then she'd oblige him.

He led the way out of her bedroom and to the apartment's exit; he peered out the door, scanning the hall before leading her out of her home. She swiftly closed and locked the door behind them as he placed a firm, kind hand on her lower back, gently pressing his fingertips into the soft line of her pant-waist. He unintentionally let his fingers ride beneath the hem of her t-shirt, as skin resolutely pressed against skin; she swallowed, and kept her eyes forward towards the elevator doors.

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	2. Chapter 2

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_A/N: Thank you for the reviews :) And now, for all your Kibbish pleasures..._

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As Kate made a steady bee-line for the elevator, Gibbs took hold of her elbow and hastily pushed open the door to the stairwell. Kate shot him a look as he grunted something about "no elevators" while leading (dragging) her down the several flights of steps to ground level. 

"Paranoid, much?" She whispered halfheartedly to herself, but his grip on her elbow just tightened in response.

He walked her out of the old apartment building and into the late night air; his eyes were furtively trained on their surroundings, but as they reached the car, he trained them on her. Gibbs got lost for a second, trying to read through the agitated worry and confusion that delicately etched across her face as she looked at him expectantly. She was leaning against the passenger side door as he reached behind her, accidentally, but fortuitously grazing her backside with the back of his hand as he opened the car door.

"In." He murmured to her. Her eyes flashed with slight disdain at his dog-and-master commands, but her mouth simply twitched as she piled into the front seat of the car with her bag on her lap. Her door shut with a dull thump before he jogged around front to get to the driver's side. Once settled in the car, he hit the automatic locks, rested his hands on the steering wheel and sighed, heavily.

"Gibbs..?" her voice trailed off softly.

He picked up his head and looked straight forward, his jaw tightening as he swallowed everything he really wanted to say. He knew he had to say something, so he offered her a quick side glance, "I can't explain it to you." _I don't **want** to explain it to you_, he thought; _I don't want to see the fear you're going to try and hide._

When he saw her face screw up in a frustrated confusion, he cut off her potential rant of not-being-able-to-understand-things, with a simple: "Can't explain it... not here." With that, he shifted the car into gear and took off down the dark and dampened city street. Kate held on tightly to the door grip and figured, at this pace, where ever they were going, they'd be there fairly soon.  
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As Kate predicted, they pulled into his driveway in record time. She'd only been there a handful of times, but enough times to know that it took longer than 4 minutes to reach his house. While her knuckles gently relaxed on the door handle, she thought, _yeah… warp speed._ She chuckled low and soft to herself. Gibbs looked over to her as he cut the ignition and she cleared her throat. He half-smiled softly while he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. Kate followed suit and was quickly met with a return of his hand to her elbow, which turned into the rough and gentle palm of his hand splayed across the dead-center of her lower back. He led her swiftly to the porch.

Kate stood underneath the porch light, bathed from above in that soft, outdoor glow; fidgeting with her duffel bag, she was unsure of what to do while she waited, even if it was only a few seconds longer while he…

"I thought you didn't lock your door, Gibbs.." She asked suddenly, peering over his shoulder as he turned the right key in the lock and pushed open the door.

He looked to her and put a hand on her shoulder, briefly squeezing her before guiding her through the door. "Desperate times, Katie.." he mumbled gruffly. He took a last look at the front yard as his eyes scanned the property before shutting, and locking, the door behind him.

Kate stood in the front hallway, her duffel bag held low at her side, her head just slightly tilted with an awe of _**what**-is-going-on_. She could see that whatever it was had shaken him up pretty good. She didn't know how to handle a nervous, paranoid Gibbs. An irritated, stubborn, paranoid Gibbs… that she was familiar with. But, nervous?

She began to fully see his nerves, lightly frayed around the edges; the deeper lines that dug themselves chaotically at the corners of his eyes. She took a quiet step towards him and spoke with a strength that didn't completely abandon her gentle concern.

"Can you explain it to me _now_..?"

He grunted and sighed simultaneously as he waved a hand for her to follow him. She dropped her duffel by the kitchen table as they strode to the basement door— while taking a step on the staircase, he leaned back and held the door open for her, then continued calmly down into the basement when he felt her steady warmth behind him.

Gibbs snatched the piece of paper that he'd been staring at for hours after work had ended. He looked at the wad of cheap parchment and walked over to where Kate stood; he forcibly, but with a certain gentleness, took her hand, placing the paper in her palm and closing her fingers around it. He squeezed her hand as preemptive reassurance, and she knew that that's exactly what it was. Whatever this was that she now held in her hand, it wasn't giving her that fuzzy feeling deep inside.

He took a step back, releasing her hand and waited for her to undo the crumples that he had vehemently placed in the paper. She did so slowly, and smoothed it against her palm. Kate's eyes carefully scanned the writing and immediately recognized the source as her mouth opened slightly. Gibbs could see her nostrils flare and her eyes go from wide to narrowed; from surprise, to fear, to the anger he felt. He wasn't expecting that some of that anger was saved especially for him.

Kate took another step towards him, holding up the note in her hand, her voice low and taught with a sullen ferocity. "When'd you get this." He stood still and didn't respond, not fast enough for her. She waved the paper at him and raised her voice, her cool and collected anger quickly coming undone, "_When did you get this, Gibbs..._?"

"This morning." He replied hoarsely. Her eyes widened again, with traces of disbelief, rage, and hurt. It was the hurt that swiftly put a crack down the middle of his heart.

Just as he thought Kate was about to pick up her rant where she'd left off, she grew quiet and sat heavily on the plank of boat framework behind her. She turned the note over slowly in her hands. Gibbs quietly sat beside her, placing his hands on his knees before looking over to her, bending down his head slightly to catch her downcast eyes.

"It was just a precaution..." he said in a low voice, adding in clarification, "bringing you here." When she didn't respond, he inched one hand to cover one of hers, his fingers brushing against her palm and closing around her hand. He was surprised when, with his other hand, she allowed him to remove the note from her quiet possession. He let it drift and fall to the wayside beside them, and firmly squeezed her hand.

He could tell that in the last week, she had finally quieted that edgy part of her that was like him. Obsessive like him. Unrelenting like him. He noticed that she had slowly let go of whatever it was that was holding her to that hostaged night. But not now; it was the calm before her silent storm. She could storm all she wanted, he thought, but it won't happen again.

He was brought out of his thoughts with a heavy weight on his shoulder. Surprised but not adverse to it, Gibbs felt her cheek resting against his shoulder. He slowly, uncertainly brought an arm around her, bringing her close against his side. He could have sworn he felt her shoulders heave so slightly in an exhaustive sob, but it stopped before he could be certain that it happened at all. He squeezed her shoulder, squeezing her to him slightly at the thought. Gibbs placed a soft kiss on the top of her head; his lips lingered as he placed another quick kiss in her hair. He leaned his back up against one of the upright planks and stroked her bare arm with his fingertips until after awhile of their silence, he felt her breathing even out. He thought he was the only one who could skillfully fall asleep sitting upon a 4 by 4. His mouth quirked.

His eyes fell on the wrinkled threat that lay at their feet..

_And whose Caitlin will she be?_

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	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Two in a single day... Merry Christmas :)_

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Kate gradually woke to the slow and steady rhythm of rasping sandpaper. She kept her eyes closed as she slowly remembered where she was; she also made the mental note of Gibbs having moved her to the soft couch opposite the work bench. She smiled faintly as she looked through half-lidded eyes towards the soft sound Gibbs made a few feet away.

"Feel safe down here…?" Kate murmured huskily, her voice thickly coated in sleep. She carefully turned onto her side in order to face his general direction.

His eyebrows perked at the sudden sound of her voice, looking over to where she lay. He held her eyes for a brief moment before a half-smile came upon his lips as he looked back down to the wood and began sanding again. He continued his task, but lifted his eyes to her, hidden beneath the soft, barely-there cover of his mussed hair.

"Didn't wanna risk dropping you down the cellar stairs." He said, low and slow, dropping his eyes back down to the sandpaper. His smirk grew another inch when he heard her syrupy, sleep-filled chuckle.

"Well... thanks for that, I guess." She smiled softly as she gingerly put her feet to the floor, slowly coming to a sitting position as she leaned back against the couch cushions. Gibbs bobbed his head in an affirmative acknowledgment. They lapsed into a steady, comfortable silence, listening and watching the calmness of Gibbs' work. When he leaned back for another small sheet of sandpaper, she broke that silence with a question that surely crossed both their minds.

"Do you think it's for real, Gibbs," Kate half-whispered to him; unsure and unprepared for his answer. She leant forward, placing her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. She looked to him with anxious eyes, mentally preparing herself for whatever it was he may have been thinking; his possible thoughts on the outcome of this nightmare.

Gibbs stopped sanding and looked up to her. He dropped his hands from the wood and let them hang between his knees. His eyebrows twinged with a squint, and then rose in consideration as he exhaled; he shook his head, "I don't know, Kate." She noticed that it seemed to pain him to say that; to confess his uncertainty. "I just don't know.."

Kate nodded slowly, not being able to take her eyes away from him, even if he couldn't momentarily bring himself to look at her. She croaked out, "You didn't sleep.." He started sanding again. The corner of his mouth upturned slightly.

"Is that a question or a statement?" He quipped.

She got up and walked towards the boat, shrugging. "You tell me." She sat beside him, their thighs brushing together silently. The knot in his stomach tightened a little further.

Continuing to work on the wood, he mumbled, "If I _could_ sleep, I'd be sleeping," he looked to her briefly before turning his head back to his familiar task, "Wouldn't I, Kate?"

Her lips quirked slightly at his sudden verbal bite, but she refused to let it faze her. "Well, yes. I guess you would," she sighed out quietly.

Gibbs shut his eyes tight and kicked himself repeatedly before setting down the sandpaper and nervously scratching his forehead. He roughly rubbed his face, desperately trying to wipe away the confusion and the anger that wasn't at all meant for her. He exhaled as he kept his head down in his hands, inhaling the soothing scent of sawdust.

She put a careful hand on his shoulder, her fingers gently kneading his skin through his faded white work shirt. She moved closer, leaning into him and whispering hoarsely, "It's not your fault, Gibbs." It was all she could offer him as far as reassurance went, without having her inner thoughts coming completely undone in front of her. She rested her chin close to his shoulder as he dropped his hands away from his face and into his lap. He turned his head to look at her, unaware of the severity of their closeness as the warmth of their eye contact was securely established. Her careful, shallow breaths spread carelessly against his neck as he spoke.

"I had the chance.." he said, murmuring low. And she knew exactly to what he was referring as she wet her lips briefly and nodded.

"So did I.." she whispered.

His eyes flashed quietly, showing her glimpses of his agonizing guilt and regret, emotions that were typically covered with his passion and his determination. He bowed his head, moving his face a little closer to hers and spoke softly, "I wasn't fast enough, Katie…"

She smiled sadly and paused before she spoke, taking in the warm softness and intimate proximity of his face. "Neither was I." She swallowed her nerve and brought the hand that rested on his shoulder, up to his cheek, leaning in and pressing a tender kiss to the corner of his mouth. She lingered there, her warm breath radiating across his cheek before she pulled away slowly and got up from where they sat. She continued softly, "It still doesn't make it your fault, Gibbs."

She touched his shoulder lightly before heading for the stairs; she looked to him as she leisurely climbed each step, dropping her eyes to the staircase as he looked down to his hands.

With the quiet click of the basement door, Gibbs shut his eyes and rubbed a rough palm against his forehead. He looked up to where Kate had stood at the top of the steps moments before, and slowly got to his feet. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets while he walked towards the bottom of the stairs. As he placed his first foot on the rickety wood, he heard Kate in the kitchen as she let out a rough cry. Gibbs took the steps three at a time.

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	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: More thanks to awesome and chapter provoking reviews ;) I extend my gratitude :bows:.. with another chapter..._

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Gibbs reached the top of the stairs and grabbed at the door knob, turning it roughly, his hand slipping from the brushed brass metal to find it locked from the outside. His breathing picked up as his lips pressed tightly together, looking frantically from the knob to an eye-level spot on the door as if trying to look through to the other side. He jiggled the doorknob violently as he called for Kate. 

With a sudden thrust of his shoulder, he dislodged the flimsy basement lock and sent the door swinging, crashing back into the wall. Gibbs withdrew his sidearm with his hand firm on the grip when he saw it.

He'd never forget that ominous smile; the man's face was plastered on the walls of his nightmarish subconscious, and posted on a few select boards in the basement that he kept specifically for this moment. 'That damn terrorist' had Kate, had her again, clutched to his side with an arm choking at and around her waist. Gibbs tightened his fingers around his gun.

"Nuh-uh-uh… I _wouldn't_ do that, Agent Gibbs." His voice danced, sauntered, and taunted Gibbs, making all the muscles in his body clench and release with a sweltering anger. The other man smiled as he raised Kate's own gun and pressed the cold barrel deep into her ribcage, causing her to wince faintly.

"Let her go." Gibbs growled coolly. His fingers flexed over the trigger, not letting his line of sight wander over to Kate's, full well knowing that her eyes were burning steady holes straight through him.

"Just like you let Qassam go," the man slid the barrel of the gun down to Kate's waist, "Agent Gibbs..?" Lightly dragging the metal back up her side, he slightly hitched up her t-shirt as he went. With her stomach bared, he pressed the gun against her skin, digging into her side making her involuntarily grunt in pain. The corner of Gibbs' eye flinched at the sound of her protest.

The man smiled and vaguely cocked his head to one side. "How about.. another opportunity, Jethro," he held out his name with amusement before he continued, "A chance to, redeem yourself maybe?" The terrorist grinned as he pressed a slow kiss to Kate's cheek.

"Shoot him, Gibbs..." Kate spoke to him calmly; her eyes begged for him to look at her as he allowed his vision to briefly drift to her face. Her eyes twinged and revealed the same fear and concern that pounded in his own chest. He swallowed down the rough shards of doubt as he stealthily leveled his aim at the intruder's head.

"Are you fast enough, Agent Gibbs.. because, if there's _any_ doubt… any doubt whatsoever…" the other man's voice trailed as he smirked madly. "You'd better have the aim you imagine yourself to have.."

"Do it, Gibbs…" Kate choked out as the man shook her briefly and violently to be quiet. "_Shoot him.._!" she bellowed.

Gibbs' jaw clenched as he double and triple-checked his aim. The man whom stared back only persisted to provoke him with a menacing smile. The agent's equilibrium was briefly thrown as the terrorist removed Gibbs' only true obstacle when he pushed Kate aside, crashing her into one of the counters as she managed to remain standing. Gibbs pulled the trigger, receiving no more satisfaction than the hollow click of his gun; the void and muted sound seemed to echo throughout the kitchen. An empty clip. Gibbs' insides screamed and viciously howled.

The man smiled wildly, "Nothing's ever as it seems. _Is it_, Special Agent Gibbs?" Before he could mentally respond, the terrorist didn't flinch, or even turn away from Gibbs as he brought his arm away from his side and pulled the trigger: shooting Kate point blank in the chest.

Gibbs shot up into a sitting position on the basement floor. His chest heaved erratically as beads of sweat trickled down the sides of his face. He swallowed hard before slowly catching his breath, forcing himself to feverishly scan his surroundings. He looked down to find a blanket covering him; it smelled like her.. the entire basement smelled like her. Gibbs got up and looked to the couch. No Kate. He wondered how much of what had happened was actually a dream.

He stalked over to the workbench and slid his gun off the wood, immediately checking the presence of a full clip in the grip before he carefully climbed the stairs.

Silently gliding through the kitchen, he stepped into the living room as his eyes at once fell on Kate's small frame curled up on the loveseat. He sighed quietly as his face relaxed and his eyebrows rose slightly in relief. He lowered his gun, walking over to check the lock on the front door before walking over towards the couch.

He placed the gun back at his hip as he knelt down in front of the loveseat, taking the precious opportunity to give her face a well-deserved and well-adored once over. Gibbs reflexively brushed a small strand of hair from her forehead and out of her eyes. Kate stirred a bit, briefly becoming conscious long enough to turn fully towards him on her side; giving him a sleepy grin and a stifled yawn before her eyes fluttered close, she drifted back into her dreamy unconscious. Gibbs perked his eyebrows and nodded in amusement, restraining a chuckle in the depths of his gut. His relief continued to wash through him, causing him to reassure himself further that this was not in fact another dream as he ran a slow and steady hand down her side, resting on the curve of her hip. Kate hummed in her sleep, and he smirked.

Gibbs carefully gathered her in his arms, blanket and all, with one arm behind her knees and the other arm supporting her back. Her head fell naturally to his shoulder, her face burying into the side of his neck as she let out a soft, sleepy exhale. Gibbs cradled her gently as he carried her up to the second floor, becoming fully aware of how small she actually was. He embraced her closer to his chest as he walked into his bedroom, delicately laying her on the bed. Gibbs stood back and examined her once again, his eyes slowly scanning her entire form. He reached down his hand and brushed his fingertips against her cheek before bending down and pressing a soft and lingering kiss to her forehead; whispering quietly against her skin:

"Sleep tight, Katie."

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	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Ah, cats and kittens.. the show goes on... thanks for the lovely feedback :) it fuels my thought you know ;) Happy reading._

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Kate sighed as she slowly coasted along that line between being asleep and being awake; rolling over and nestling the length of her body into blankets and pillows. She heard her name coming from somewhere outside of herself, but she ignored it; refusing to open her eyes, not wanting to wake up—not just yet. 

The voice became insistent as she felt her name being spoken softly by her ear. Kate moaned in a hazy protest as she slowly opened her eyes, looking towards the sound of her sleep intruder. She stared blankly; blinking several times before she realized that the pillows she had been more or less molesting, curling up next to, and even partially on top of, was Gibbs. Her mouth opened and closed while her eyes became more focused and less glazed with slumber; Gibbs hid his smirk as a single eyebrow rose.

"Comfortable?" He asked, his voice warmly coated with a thick combination of mirth and sleep.

Kate took a brief second to regain some sense of composure as she sat up, slowly sliding her hand off of his chest. She felt his muscles twitch momentarily beneath her fingers. Kneeling beside him with her hands in her lap, she swallowed down the sleep and the shock.

"Yes, actually.. I was." she quipped lightly and matter-of-factly.

The corner of his mouth lifted a bit as he gave her a small nod.

Kate squinted her eyes. "Wait…" her voice trailed as she furrowed her brow, looking around, "… how did I get in here?"

Gibbs tilted his head in amusement with a half-smile covering his lips as he swung his legs off the bed, his feet landing on the floor. He sat on the edge of the bed with his back to her, rubbing his face with one hand as the other braced himself forward over his knees.

She decided to leave it alone, silently examining him from behind. She wet her lips and exhaled as she climbed off of the bed. "I'm gonna go down... get my bag and, take a shower." She nodded as she verbally laid out her brief itinerary. Gibbs pushed himself up from the bed and slowly walked over to her. It was now that she noticed he had changed sometime during the night into a pair of NCIS gym shorts and a white undershirt. Her insides quietly hummed as he stood a foot away, just barely on the outskirts of her personal space.

"Bag's in the bathroom.. right down the hall." He murmured softly, crossing his arms in front of his chest and examining her as she was still caught up in the sight of him. He narrowed his eyes expectantly, waiting for her to speak as she silently opened her mouth to say something.

Closing her mouth again quickly, she pressed her lips together and then smiled at him softly. "Thanks, Gibbs." She patted his arm and slid her hand slightly down to his forearm as she retreated and headed for the door. Standing in the doorframe, she looked both ways down the hall before turning back to him.

"When you say '_right_' down the hall, you mean.." her voice faded out questioningly.

He smirked and nodded, opening his mouth with a smile before speaking, "_Left_… down the hall." She smiled in reply and disappeared from the doorway. Gibbs let out a small sigh as his phone began to sound sharply from the bedside table. He stretched his neck as he walked over, picking up his cell and swiftly snapping it open.

"Yeah, Gibbs."

"_Found 'em, Boss. On surveillance, yesterday at_," Tony paused briefly, "_06:00_."

Gibbs released a small exhale when Tony had clarified his beginning statement, but his face quickly screwed up into an angry frown. "He was _in_ the _building_, Dinozzo?"

"_Yeah, Boss… You know, if you'd been there just one hour earlier, Gibbs, you would prob_—"

Gibbs heatedly snapped the phone shut and closed his eyes, counting slowly to some ridiculous number. He grumbled and grunted as he threw his cell onto the bed; to hell with Abby's anger management advice. This was going to end, and it was going to end sooner than later. Like hell he'd have his team, himself, go on in fear of some terrorist's gratuitous revenge.

He strode down the hall to the closed bathroom door. Pausing, hearing the water running and the evident sounds of Kate already being in the shower, he shamelessly walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

Kate's eyes snapped open at the sound of the door, her back to the showerhead as she let the water cascade down her back. She poked her head out of the shower and clutched part of the shower curtain to her chest, the confusion clearly dripping from her face with tiny droplets of water.

"_What_ are you—what's wrong?" She asked quickly.

"I need to talk to you." Gibbs gruffed as he sat down on the closed toilet lid.

Kate's eyes widened slightly and blinked in baffled surprise, "What— _now_?"

"_Yes, **now**_." He said, his voice mirroring the disbelief in his face that she'd ask such a seemingly ridiculous question.

Kate looked down and opened her mouth and the looked back up to him. "Here?"

Gibbs gave a small wave of his hand for her to continue her shower as he nodded his head. She gave him a look of self-conscious bewilderment as she fully disappeared again behind the shower curtain.

"So what is it, Gibbs?" she raised her voice slightly over the faint roar of the shower, awkwardly continuing where she left off as she picked up his soap.

"He was at NCIS, _in_ the building yesterday. About an hour before I got there." His voice was rough, but she could still hear the pain in his tone, especially as he gently faded out his sentence.

"You thought it was a messenger.." she stated more than asked, "Never thought he'd actually have the balls to come back.. you know, himself."

"He's got 'em." Gibbs mumbled, flexing his fingers over both of his knees.

Kate stuck her head out from the shower again and looked at him, "You have Tony on this already, don't you.."

"And McGee. Yeah." He exhaled and took a second before he brought his eyes up to hers. They stared at one another briefly as a greater flush graced her face; she looked down and popped back into the shower, finishing up and rinsing off. Gibbs rubbed his face and got up, walking to stand in front of the sink as he absentmindedly turned on the water to fully wash the sleep from his face.

Kate gave a low shriek as ice cold water poured over her from the showerhead; she swiftly sidestepped to a corner of the shower to save herself from the freezing onslaught. Gibbs looked over his shoulder with his eyebrows raised and then looked back to the faucet as he quickly shut off the water. He gave a low, throaty chuckle.

"Yeah. Funny, Gibbs.. I _really_ needed that." She spat sarcastically, cautiously stepping back into the gradually warming jet stream.

He smirked gently. "Gotta be on your toes, Katie.." She shut off the water and poked her head out, leaning her upper body slightly out of the shower as she tried to reach the towel on the windowsill. Gibbs was instantly drawn to the curve of her bare shoulder and spied the slight swell of her breast peeping from the shower curtain. Kate looked over and swallowed as the blush in her cheeks deepened further.

"If you're going to stay, could you at least hand me that towel…" she said huskily, trying to hide her heady mixture of embarrassment and desirous curiosity.

He tore away his crude glare from her dampened skin and looked to her face, giving her a quick nod. With two steps he was at the window, holding the towel in his hand as he offered it to her. When she was about to take it, he brought it back out of her reach. Kate looked up to him with a confused expression of _what-gives?_

"You trust me..." He asked, more than stated.

"Is that a question?" Her eyes smiled at him as she kept a straight face. When he didn't answer, she simply nodded her head. "Yeah, Gibbs… I do."

He extended the towel to her again, and let her have it. Her hand brushed against his, her fingers rubbed against the softly roughened skin of his palm as she took the towel. "Thanks," she said, almost inaudibly. He gave her a sharp nod and began to retreat from the bathroom, the smell of his soap on her was quickly becoming too much to comprehend.

She stood in the shower, wet and naked with his towel as she picked up her head. She wrapped the towel around her and leaned out from the shower. "You have a plan.. don't you, Gibbs…"

He looked to her, searching her face before he made an unabashed once over of her towel-clad figure. His sight finally returning to her eyes, the corner of his mouth lifted ever so slightly as he walked out of the bathroom, shutting the door.

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	6. Chapter 6

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A/N: It's really kinda late.. I couldn't stop typing.. but that doesn't always guarantee __**correct **typing.. my apologies for anything that seems out of place :) enjoy :D _

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"_You're staying here until this is resolved…_" 

Despite his brusque tone and 'this-is-not-a-negotiation' attitude, Kate knew that it was Gibbs-speak for "I know you can take care of yourself, but I need to keep both my eyes on you for my own sanity." So with a little huff and a reluctant nod of her head, she agreed. That was about a week and a half ago.

There were no more threats or signs of their ever-loving terrorist. But they still went to work and came back home again just like it was an everyday occurrence; like they had lived together all along. Granted, it had been only 7+ days of playing house, but Kate hadn't expected the transition to be like this. Not that being a temporary fixture in Gibbs' house wasn't intriguing, alluring, even enticing… but she expected more guff from him than she actually got. But she especially enjoyed the awkward moments, as silly as it sounded; they were usually the most interesting, and more intimate.

She had taken to the spare bedroom that Gibbs had across the hall from his own. She had joked about him using it for spare wood, and he had given her an amused frown with a slightly raised eyebrow. After he indeed cleared all the extra plywood and 2-by-4's out of the bedroom, Kate "moved in."

There'd been no word on their man, until today; which threw in Gibbs' set-up into motion for the following day. Kate turned over in bed repeatedly that night; tossing and turning until she exhaled heavily and climbed out of bed. She walked the floorboards, pacing from one end of the room to the other; counting the seconds and the steps that it took her. She wound up in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips, looking to her opened door as she bit gently at the inside of her cheek. They had each agreed that they'd sleep with their doors open; in case of any emergency; hearing the other person wouldn't present a problem. Kate looked warily across the hall to see a dim light on in Gibbs' room; she stepped outside her door and made like she was walking towards the bathroom, peeking into his bedroom as she went. Finding him to be seemingly asleep, she let out a small sigh and paced back to the other end of the hall, turning back and making another pass past his room.

"What are you doing out there…?" Gibbs slurred sleepily, low and hoarse, but loud enough to get her attention. She turned towards his door and guardedly stepped into the doorframe, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Her chest heaved a bit as she sighed and leaned against the doorjamb.

"I can't sleep." She murmured lightly. She could see him studying her through half-lidded eyes in the weak light of his bedside lamp.

"You wanna _talk _about it, Kate..?" A faintly mocking tone in his voice. Kate sighed and began to scowl and mutter as she took a step back into the hall. He sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes, "I'm.. I'm kidding, Kate. I was kidding.."

She turned back to him. "You don't _kid_, Gibbs.."

"Get… _in _here." He replied simply.

With a half frown and her arms still crossed, she reentered his room and made her way to the empty side of the bed. She stared down at the comforter as he looked her over. "You didn't sleep last night either, did you." He asked, suddenly breaking their silence. She looked up to him with perked eyebrows.

"How'd—what makes you say that?" She failed miserably in covering her tracks as she leaned slightly more on her left leg, cocking her head to one side.

"Heard you walking around." He said, soft and gruff as he slid back down in bed.

She paused, opening her mouth, "I'm sorry if I woke—"

"Get in bed, Kate." Gibbs cut her off before she could finish.

"In bed? With you." She replied in a surprised and hesitant tone.

"Yes." He rolled over onto his side with his back to her. "And yes."

She figured questioning him further with an "Are you sure?" or a "Why?" would probably provoke not the greatest of reactions. She carefully turned down the opposite side of the bed, slipping underneath the blankets quietly and softly sighing as her head fell to the pillow. _Oh _**_this_**_ is _**_nice_**... she thought, burying her head and her body into the softness of his bed. _Now just, keep your hands to yourself_… she thought, remembering the last time they happened to both occupy this bed.

Gibbs smirked as he heard her sigh and purr while she relaxed against the mattress. _Keep your hands to yourself_, he reminded himself. He turned a little to look at her over his shoulder when he felt her breathing even out; he smiled to himself when he saw her slightly on her side facing him, fast asleep.  
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Gibbs fuzzily woke, opening his eyes to the muffled sounds of voices downstairs. _Tony_, he sighed. Today was the day they got that bastard. Or at least do their damnedest.

He frowned when he heard a few pots and pans clang and scatter loudly on the floor; he sighed and got up from bed when he heard a cup crash and shatter. _There'd better be a good reason why Dinozzo's destroying my Goddamned kitchen_, he thought to himself with a yawn and a ruffle of his hair.

With another crash, which sounded distinctly like the coffee pot, he growled and strode into the kitchen. Gibbs roared: "What in the _hell_ is going on—"

"Ah, _Agent Gibbs_… Glad you could finally join us." The British drawl cut through him, sharp and swift. No pants, no knife, no gun. Not that it was his biggest problem right now, but the ironically humored portion of his brain made note to make _wearing pants_ a definite rule for the future.

Kate stood in a loose college jersey with no bottoms, her back to the sink with both hands braced against the countertop. His brain began to malfunction in the situation they were in as he thought of a bare-bottomed Kate and his new pants rule. He saw the cut on her lip and the bruise that was slowly forming there. The terrorist noticed Gibbs examining her and his handy work.

"I didn't want to, Agent Gibbs. But she wasn't being very cooperative, you understand." The man looked over to Kate, waving his gun at her disapprovingly. "_Were_ you, Caitlin." Her stony stare was her only response as she gripped the countertop.

He chuckled wickedly, "You see, the **beauty** of this situation is… I disrupt your plans, in your own home... and _neither_ of you," he said slowly as he pointed the gun first at Gibbs and then at Kate, "will make a move.. in this prideful _fear_ of the other getting a bullet or two in the chest." He smiled wildly and shook his head, chuckling and waving his gun between the two of them, "Now... _why_ is that?"

Gritting his teeth and tightening his jaw, Gibbs made a sudden lunge towards the other man as his gun was pointed down towards the ground in Gibbs' general direction. Kate started as she, too, made a grab for the man's shoulder; wild and wide-eyed, "_Gibbs _**_no_**..!"

And the gun went off. Just like that. Just like it had in all of his dreams— in all of his vicious nightmares. The terrorist had swung his gun around and took two quick shots at her; point blank in the chest; making Gibbs watch. He watched as she recoiled backwards, her back hitting the edge of the countertop with a thick crack. He watched as she lifelessly slid down to the floor, her back propped up against the cabinets, her head lolled to her right shoulder. The breath caught in his throat as the blood seemed to drain from his entire body, leaving him cold and tingling and unable to breath. But he wouldn't, couldn't show it; his eyes turned to the terrorist, who had his gun now trained on Gibbs.

"Very stubborn woman on your hands, Agent Gibbs." He smiled and tilted his head to one side, "Was she _always_ so headstrong?"

".. Always." Gibbs replied coolly.

"Liked you though, didn't she…" The man took a step towards Gibbs, studying his face and pointing the gun at him as he would wag a finger; he shook his head with a half-smile, slowly drawling "You had it bad for her, Jethro." When Gibbs didn't respond, the man broke out into a full smile. "I'll take that as a yes.."

"What's your name." Gibbs demanded hoarsely.

The man grinned and chuckled, "Is that all you want?" Gibbs only stared at him hatefully. The terrorist's eyebrows perked in amusement as he smirked, "Ari Haswari. But you, Agent Gibbs, can call me Haswari."

Gibbs gruffly murmured his name, letting it roll of his tongue with palpable hatred, "Ari…"

Ari's face formed into a vague frown before smirking coolly as he brought up his gun, re-aiming it between Gibbs' eyes. His fingers loosely flexed on the grip and the trigger. "Good-bye, Special Agent Gibbs…"

Just as Gibbs was about to take another dive at Ari, as he'd be damned if he didn't go down fighting, the gun went off. With his eyes shut tight in the anticipation of searing pain, he slowly opened them when none came. Gibbs looked down to see Ari, face down on the kitchen tile in a puddle of his own blood, which also loosely graced the front of Gibbs' t-shirt.

In a complete blanket of confusion he looked around the kitchen until he heard a slight groan, his eyes snapped to Kate.

"_Sh-t_…" she hissed. "You know.." taking a sharp breath as she sat up fully, putting her gun on the floor, "no matter _how_ many times you do it, taking two to the chest hurts like a _bastard_…" she whispered out the end of her sentence as she tried to get to her feet; being unsuccessful as the wind was still very much knocked out of her.

Gibbs strode swiftly over to her and dropped to one knee, looking and checking her over with a fierce intensity. His hands hovered over her until he finally snapped out of his shock and helped Kate to her feet; then gently lifting her to sit on the countertop. He carefully helped her raise her jersey over her head to reveal a flak vest strapped over a white tank top. She picked out the two small rounds that lay embedded in the vest, directly over her heart. Kate dropped them delicately on the counter before looking to Gibbs, who stared at her intently.

"You knew.." he croaked out, "you _planned_ this..?"

"Gibbs… I had to. It was the only way," she paused, only slightly confused as to why he would take this personally, "it was the only way to guarantee it looked _real_." He continued to stare at her, his mouth forming a firm line as his hands rested on the counter on either side of her thighs; he looked at her sternly, more out of concern than anger.

"_My _**_gut_** told me that he knew.. If it didn't happen like this," she motioned to the kitchen with her hand, wincing at the sudden movement, "one of _us_ would have died today, Gibbs." She said heatedly. Her eyes flashed at him avidly, hushing her voice, "I'm sure of that.."

"_Yikes_..." Tony quirked as he stepped into the kitchen with his gun drawn; seeing Ari on the ground, he quickly holstered his weapon. Gibbs stepped away from Kate and looked to Tony, who in turn, glanced at each of them respectively. Tony motioned down to Ari and nodded, "Nice job, Kate."

Gibbs grumbled as he stalked out of the kitchen, "Get it out of my kitchen."

Tony turned slightly as Gibbs walked out of the room towards the stairs, "Where ya going, Boss?"

Gibbs suddenly walked back into the kitchen, getting close to Tony and right in his face. "Can I get _dressed_, Dinozzo? _Is that alright with you_?" He barked. Gibbs' face a mere half an inch away, Tony swallowed and nodded.

"Yeah, sure, Gibbs..."

Gibbs stayed in his face and stared at him threateningly before backing away and returning to his trip upstairs. Tony exhaled in relief of Gibbs' quick disappearance and looked to Kate, shaking his head and scrunching up is face in livid confusion, whispering, "_What the hell_?"

Kate sighed and rubbed her face softly with one hand as the other kept her upright on the counter.

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	7. Chapter 7

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_A/N: That's the end? For now, kiddies. For now :) Thanks for all the reviews, but most of all thank you for reading :) Makes me happy :D (You'll see at the end I kinda stole an Abby line and used it for my own devices...) I've also come to realize I never put disclaimers of non-ownership.. But.. I think everyone knows I'm some girl from Long Island and not DB sitting at a computer screen. Well, maybe I am... Wait, no. I'm not. :) So I haven't put disclaimers... so sue me. Yeah, no. Strike that.._

_ Enjoy;)_

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The crisis was over and their immediate threat was gone. The man Gibbs had been clandestinely and psychologically hunting for weeks was now on a cold slab in Autopsy— exactly where the war had started. Everyone but Gibbs got in their last visual digs, curses, and stares of satisfaction as Ari's body was taken from their hands. Gibbs had confined himself to his basement, disregarding and turning his back on the commotion that slowly faded from his house around 2 that afternoon. Only three other occupants now remained in the house besides Gibbs. 

They stood around the kitchen; Kate seated in a chair while Ducky sat on his heels, squatted down in front of her, checking her ribs; Kate had doggedly refused a quick, cautionary trip to Bethesda, so this was her alternative solution to her aching ribs. Tony stood with his back to the wall, leaning with his arms folded across his chest as he offered to do Kate's paperwork for the day.

She looked over to him, about to thank him, thinking how uncharacteristically sweet it was; until it dawned on her, "You just don't want to deal with _him_," she scoffed matter-of-factly, motioning towards the basement. Tony smiled.

"Can you blame me?"

"No…" Kate muttered musingly as her attention was brought back to Ducky's on-the-fly examination of her torso. She looked to the doctor, "Anything I should worry about, Ducky?" He gently patted her knee as he slowly stood up.

"Nothing that a few days rest wouldn't readily take care of, my dear… you're going to be fine… sore, though, for quite some time... but fine." Ducky smiled softly as his voice smoothed over concerned inquiry.

"'Quite some time'…?" Kate repeated slowly, her eyes following him as he walked over to the counter and retrieved his medical bag and his coat, draping it over his forearm.

"Ah, no more than a week or so, I'd bet." He nodded with a soft, perceptive smile crossing his lips, "Tomorrow…" he pointed his finger at her knowingly, "_tomorrow_ you will feel it." He crossed the kitchen and patted her shoulder, leaning down slightly to press a kind kiss to her cheek. "Good work, Caitlin," he whispered before he stood upright and took a step back. "Just take it slow, my dear... and," he threw a brief glance to the basement door with an exasperated exhale, "take mind of him." Ducky nodded, adding emphasis to his requests, before he strolled out of the kitchen.

Kate heard heavy footsteps on the basement stairs. Tony grabbed his coat and nodded to her; tilting and shaking his head slightly as he popped on his sunglasses, smiling, "_That's_ my cue…" and before Kate could form a single word of protest, Tony slid out of the kitchen and a second later she heard the front door close. She shut her eyes in quiet frustration.

Gibbs emerged from the basement, a smear of sawdust across one cheek and slightly mussed hair. He didn't look at her as he mumbled: "Still here…" He said it as a question, but his voice wouldn't allow the courtesy of actually asking. He prowled towards the coffeepot and pressed the automatic grind, reaching to get his coffee mug with his back to her the entire time.

She was taken aback; not quite sure what to do or say, if she should _do_ or _say_ anything at all. She had never been on the receiving end of his silent wrath before—never like this. Just as she was about to speak, he turned to look at her; arms folded across his chest, leaning against the edge of the countertop, staring at her intently and expectantly with his features set in that unreadable gaze. She saw his eyes flicker with a number of emotions, but his stare started and ended so quickly as he turned back to the coffeepot, that she couldn't decipher any of it. Dealing with Gibbs emotionally was very much like listening to a foreign language, in fast forward.

Unable to come up with a suitable response to his silent presence or his curious stare, she slowly stood up and began to walk out of the kitchen, briefly glancing over her shoulder at him as he robotically poured his coffee. Feeling sensitively defeated, she continued out of the room and made her way upstairs; a shower would help clear the muddled mess she found in her mind.

After he heard her steps on the staircase, Gibbs set the coffee cup down onto the counter. His ego was slightly wounded that she hadn't confided in him, he'd admit that to himself, but he knew he was being unfair. And on some level of humility that he _wasn't_ ready to admit to, he knew Kate was right. Sometimes the only way to guarantee a set-up is to make it real— even if it wasn't as real, or as much of a set-up as she thought it was..

Maybe it was his nightmares that made him angry; having to see them cruelly played out in the flesh. Or maybe it was the fact that he hadn't had the honor to pull the trigger himself. But he found it hard to believe that his pride would go so far as to be riled and incensed with one of his own agents for trying to pull a fast one on him while quite possibly having saved all of their lives. Including his.

Gibbs ran a slow hand over his mouth and sighed deeply. He chugged down the fresh brew, emptying his cup and quickly poured a refill, taking it back down to the basement.  
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It had progressed to dinner time, and Gibbs hadn't emerged again from the basement. Kate had showered and cleaned up the leftover mess that littered the kitchen; she straightened up both bedrooms as well as the rest of the house—though she got the feeling he did most of his living in the basement and at NCIS. She stayed as long as she could without feeling like a complete idiot for hanging around Gibbs' house alone. Before she left, she broke down and fixed him a sandwich from the leftover groceries she had bought and made more coffee. Looking around the place, satisfied with what she saw, she jogged back upstairs and began to pack what little she had brought with her.

Coming down to the last few items, Kate folded another shirt and tucked it away in her duffel bag when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She glanced sideways towards the door where Gibbs stood ominously on the threshold; leaning against the door with his arms carefully folded across his chest. She looked back to the last shirt in her hands as she self-consciously bit at the inside of her bottom lip.

"What're you doing..." he murmured lightly as she zipped up her duffel. The room was pretty dim as Gibbs' form cast long shadows across the bed; the features of his face hidden from the light that bathed him from the back, from the hallway.

"It's over. He's gone.. so, I'm going home, Gibbs." She spoke coolly. Even though she couldn't clearly see his eyes in the slight darkness, she had to look away from him; casting her eyes to the carpet as she fidgeted with the zipper on her bag. "There's food in the fridge, and a new pot of your sludge on the counter." She nodded and built herself up enough to be able to look him straight in the face.

His mouth ached to smirk, but he calmed it to a negligible little lift of the corner of his lips. Gibbs took a step into the room and tilted his head to one side. "Say what you want to say, Agent Todd." He said sternly.

She turned to face him dead on, placing her hands on her slender hips and matched his head tilt. Her eyes looked away briefly, thinking, and she shook her head, opening her mouth to speak, "I just… I don't…"

"Spit it out, Todd…" he gruffed, slightly raising his voice as he advanced on her rather quickly. Standing in front of her, nearly toe to toe; he didn't get in her face as he did with Tony, but he was pretty damn close.

At first the surprise in her face made it look as if she might actually start to tear, the emotion beginning to well up behind her eyes. She swallowed it down quickly as she squinted at him and took a step forward, "I'm sorry you didn't know, but I am _not sorry_ for what I did…" she spat, defensively crossing her arms, "I wasn't… I wasn't _planning_ it, Gibbs— it was so last minute we're lucky it happened at all..! and, _you know what_, that doesn't even _matter_ right now!" she shouted, getting in his face, poking a rash finger to his chest, "_You're_ alive, _he's_ not. You wanna desk me? Fine..." she removed her index finger from its prime poking position as her voice began to cool down, murmuring, "but I am not sorry."

After a few shocked seconds on his end, he spoke slow and calm, "Good answer.."

She wet her lips and looked away, but couldn't step away, from his softly scrutinizing stare, not noticing the careful upward lift of his mouth.

"You're wrong about one thing, though," his voice thick and rough, catching her attention.

"Yeah? What's that, Gibbs.." she looked up to him with skeptical eyes.

He leaned down and whispered by her ear, "I'm a _damn_ good poker player, Kate…"

Kate's brow furrowed before her eyebrows rose in amazement; she pulled slightly away from him in order to see his face. "**_You_** knew?" she asked disbelievingly. The corner of his mouth tugged up further. Her mouth formed a small "o" as her eyebrows peaked even higher. She gently slapped his chest, "How— _Damn_ it, Gibbs..! What were all the theatrics—"

He grabbed her wrist and gently closed his hand around it. "Don't do it again.. unless absolutely necessary," he mumbled.

Her eyes flashed with a slight warmth, "And what rule is that..?"

Gibbs chuckled low as he smiled, but didn't answer her question. Still holding on to her wrist, his thumb softly rubbed along her pulse, feeling the beats become faintly stronger and more frequent. His smirk transformed into a slight frown of agitated worry.

"You scare the absolute hell out of me sometimes, you know that?" He said gruffly.

Kate's smile turned into a vague grin. She nodded and murmured quietly, "I'm glad you're not dead, too." She smiled further at the smirk that she received, prompting her to lean into him and kiss his cheek. Except, ironically enough, her aim was a little off as she pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth rather than the side of his face.

She hovered slightly, but before she had the chance to pull away and correct herself, Gibbs moved his lips over hers. Taking hold of her other wrist, he pulled her to step into him as he covered her mouth with a gentle roughness; a steady mixture of affection and absolute need.

He slid a tentative hand softly, slowly underneath her shirt, delicately touching skin that he knew would already be turning shades of black and blue from the morning's escapades. He ran a thumb lightly over the upper portion of her ribs, silently thanking her and signifying a deeply running, protective concern.

Kate seemed to purr gently against his lips. She leaned into him carefully, not to press on her ribs as she submitted to his intensity while her insides melted beneath the tender undertones. She swiped the tip of her tongue at his lips before pulling his bottom lip between her own. She freed her hands and slid them up his chest, coming to rest on the back of his neck as she pressed her mouth against his with a certain fervor that made his own insides melt.

Gibbs opened his mouth to her, their inhibitions quickly deteriorating as their tongues met in a deeply fevered haste of needing to taste the other. His mind reeled, slowly spiraling out of any conscious realm of professionalism. He couldn't even say that he'd lost control of his common sense; because in this moment, it did in fact make perfect sense.

A desperate need for air pulled the two apart, both breathing heavily in the ebbing waves of a sudden fiery surge. Kate's fingers brushed into his hair, sliding up from the back of his neck as she stared hazily at a single spot on his chest. Gibbs chucked a finger underneath her chin, gently tilting her face up. She blinked slowly, a small gratifying smirk strewn across her features.

"We should play cards sometime…" she murmured, her voice full of quiet mirth.

Gibbs opened his mouth with a smile as a rough chuckle sounded from deep in his gut.

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